To blog or not to blog?

            I have learned a great deal this summer!  I really haveJ  Just in terms of technology  I learned how to use glogster, blogger, navigate google and moodle with some skill, how to embedded images and music into blogger, voicethread, tourbuilder, use google chat, podcast with garageband, record audio clips with quicktime, develop word clouds  with worditout.com, and use my new iphone 5.  The phone had nothing to do with class, but none–the-less is technology and I tackled it.  Technology done well can be effective in engaging and motivating learning.  It often demands higher order thinking to analyze and synthesize information.  Technology allows you to apply what you’ve learned by creating something new.  It also allows you to teach someone else what you’ve learned. And for that you would receive a 4 on most scoring guides!

            I also learned that we need to think even more creatively about scheduling so that there is allowance for teaching and learning opportunities for teachers and students throughout the day.  Scheduling is a serious pain in the neck, but without careful consideration of what you want the outcome to be (grouping students, collaboration time for teachers) you will default to old practices.  Form does follow function.

            Oh…then there’s the whole social networking thing.  I am a stalker by choice on facebook.  I rarely post. I love to keep up with family that are in other states and see pictures of their children.  Not a fan of actually engaging though.  Well, I’ve learned that we need to “power-up” and join in a bit more.  This generation needs us to help them navigate the genre that is social networking.  We can network together and figure out this genre with some grace and dignity.

            I have a better understanding of what global literacy could look like and how I might infuse a more worldview into the classroom.  Technology will ramp those opportunities up as well. 

            An finally,  as I write this post, I am still thinking about my curriculum “menu” idea and how to give teachers AND students choice in teaching and learning.

            Will this blog continue?  Hmmmm….I have tried journaling so many times in my life.  I was only ever successful when I did it for someone else.  I kept hand written journals for my sons during the first 5 years of their life.  I can remember from age 5 on and I was hoping they could as wellJ  So I’m thinking that if I say I’m going to blog for teachers then I might do it.  As a literacy coach it actually would be a great way for me to share resources.  So, yes…..I will try.  First I have to figure out how to write with a great deal more brevity.  My school schedule should help with that!

What she says.......

Word cloud made with WordItOut

There are 3 key ideas from chapters 1-4 of Curriculum 21 that I feel would effect positive change in my district and are also doable…in my opinion.  The first is schedule.  Ms. Jacobs is absolutely correct that “form follows function”.  In order for us to group students effectively for teaching and learning, capitalize on all of our resources and provided collaborative time for teachers we have to push at the daily/weekly schedules.  My thoughts are small in comparison to what we’ve recently read, but large in comparison to the practices we’ve had in our district.  We will be working on lining up our instructional workshops to effectively group students for layered supplemental instruction and project work, establish weekly team time  in order to conduct progress monitoring meetings on striving student and team time for collaboration on units of study/assessment/other PD.  Scheduling is hard…please send good mojo our wayJ

The second key idea is upgrading assessments.  Ms. Jacobs feel that this should come even before looking at content and skills.  I think it could drive purpose and motivation if handled well.  In our district we will be using EDUCATE to “house” student progression through the learning targets.  The means to do that is to attach and “activity” better known as an assessment or outcome to a target or a set of targets.  One the activity is scored on a 1-4 scoring guide and entered into EDUCATE the student’s progression through the learning targets is “populated” with check marks of achievement.  Designing those “activities” and understanding the targets and scoring guides will be our PD work for the coming year.  I am in hopes that, while Ms. Jacobs feels it could wait, we also will create units of study along the way.  This is work I’ve already started this summer with a few teachers. 

The third key idea relates to the tenets Ms. Jacob’s lists on page 31 of Curriculum 21. They all are critical, but I was trying to think about what would be doable. I selected global literacy, technology and media, real purpose and also added essential questions/problems to solve and speech.    I think ramping up our outcomes by establishing real world (global) purpose through essential questions or problems would motivate our students.  Engaging them in outcomes that creatively and effectively use technology and media will also engage and motivate while teaching essential skills they’ll need.  I also really feel what she said about speech starting on page 48 is needed.  There is so little “formality” left in our culture on a daily basis.  Students need to learn that talk has different “genre” and how to navigate with grace.  Providing more opportunity for “talk” in physical and virtual spaces will provide more practice.

Seems like a lot, but I think it’s doable.  It always feels that way in July, right?

Persistent Problem

My persistent problem pertains to the issue of whether or not a locally developed  curriculum guide/map would be worth the investment of time and resources in my district. Would it help solve the constant question I hear daily of “What do I teach”? Could it establish vertical alignment so there aren’t gaps and redundancies. Would it help bridge the standards to targets in a learning progression, lessons and outcomes (formative assessment)?   If so, how should this guide/map be developed and what format should it be in?  Then what?  How to we use the guide/map to review the what/why and how and determine if we keep, cut or create aspects of our curriculum?

I am on the front lines with teachers daily in many grade levels making decision regarding what to teach, how to teach it and why it is important.  I clearly see that we need something to facilitate this communication between ourselves, with our students and their parents. 

I’m not really sure what the research says regarding to have a map or not to have a map but clearly it must be best practice.  We are a google search away from other schools in other districts in other states and countries that have done just that.  Entire books have been written regarding curriculum mapping. Getting Results with Curriculum Mapping and The Curriculum Mapping Planner were written by Heidi Jacobs. Evidence enough for me that this is a smashing idea.

The only idea I have as I write this blog is that I have to talk first with my Director of Instruction who has not wanted to have such a document.  I do understand her concerns that they drill down to skills to quickly, don’t consider the needs of students and are often dead before they are finished. So my plan is to offer the option of a curriculum menu rather than a map or guide.  More to come in my paperJ

Presume Positive Intent

My take on the CCSS is to presume positive intent. I don’t think that the folks (governors and state education commissioners and their people) who collaborated on their development got up one morning and said, “what can we do to mess with the US education system, teachers, unions, children and families”. I’ve read some, believed some, doubted some and then observed some. And this is what I’ve observed so far….. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to plan with, teach with and reflect with teachers and students daily. I’ve been in over 50 classrooms in the past 2 years. It is such a great opportunity to work this closely with colleagues and I would encourage you to advocate for this practice in your schools. During this time I’ve observed teacher utilize the standards to guide them as they intentionally plan lessons, deliver lessons and reflect on lessons. During planning, I’ve observed and participated in conversations regarding what, why and how to teach. We use statements of learning intentions as our lesson targets (Today I will….so I can…I’ll know I have it when…). Teachers grapple with those statements at a very deep level as they craft those targets. This has really deepened understanding of what, why and how for teachers and for the students as the target is read to them at the start of the lesson and reflected on at the end of the lesson. We use a book that is crafted at each grade level and published by McGraw-Hill called The Common Core: Clarifying Expectations for Teachers & Students. We fondly call it “the flip book”. I’ve only used the English Language Arts but they publish math and science as well. Here is the link, scroll to bottom when page opens: http://qualityinstruction.org/products/common-core-language-arts. This practice of crafting targets from the standards for each lesson has really slowed teaching down and deepened the understandings that are developed through the lesson. It’s evident in the products and talk that the content and process is sticking and being applied. Teachers and students know where they are going and they get there. So I choose to presume positive intent because I see the outcomes when the standards guide us. I feel strongly that this attitude will help me navigate the rest of what’s to come from this “reform”. And I know we’ve just begun! And just in case my vibe isn’t strong enough we have music to adjust our brain waves☺ Sonicaid: Music to Inspire Positive Thinking.: It has Alpha/Beta/Theta waves that help put you in a positive mental state.

Globel Infusion

Global Infusion

July 8, 2014

My youngest son had an opportunity in the spring of ’13 to spend almost a month hiking in Spain.  His plan was to complete as much of the El Camino de Santiago known in English as the Way of St. James as he could in the amount of time he had. This hike has many routes that all lead to Galicia, Spain where the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is located. My son returned with an amazing “global education”.  He left speaking 2 languages and came home speaking bits and pieces of many more.  He left thinking he had very little understanding of the world and he came how knowing he had very little understanding and realizing he needed more.  He came home knowing that people from other countries know a great deal more about their countries and ours!  He was shocked at what he didn’t know and how that might impact him in the future.  He wrote a paper for his philosophy class about the importance of his generation plugging into global education. He explained why they should care and gave websites for more information about global issues.  He was 17.  Why does a 17 year old get it and the “educated” adults are still teaching _______?  I know you can fill in the blank.

 In chapter 6, A Classroom as Wide as the World, of Curriculum 21, Vivan Stewart highlights global trends that point to the importance of global education for all of us.  She summarizes trends and the importance of those trends in economics, science/technology, demographics, security/citizenship and education.   She stated,  “Our national goal should be that all students must graduate from high school college-ready and globally competent, prepared to compete, connect, and cooperate with their peers around the world” (Stewart, Curriculum 21,  2010, p. 101).  She identifies three key elements of “global competence” or “global literacy”: knowledge of other world regions, skills to communicate and values of respect.  The rest of the chapter gives ideas of “how to” integrate global education into our schools and practices.

So how did this get missed in my son’s education?  He took French from grade K through French V in high school.  He did very well, receiving straight A’s.  He conversationally is fairly fluent and can pick apart several other romance languages. He attends a school that provides a very large exchange program with other countries.  While we didn’t host a student, we hosted many students at our home throughout his high school career from many countries.  My son loves travel and actually sought people out to talk about their country. This still was not enough.

I’m thinking at this point that it isn’t just language and it isn’t just a selection of courses in high school (because I know they were offered, yet not taken for various reasons- typically the instructor), that it is more of an infusion of purpose into our already existing curricula K-12.  We need to infuse why we need this knowledge, this skills and values of respect.  We need to understand our goal (or just use Stewart’s on page 101) and identify targets for daily lessons that put students on a path of achieving that goal. As I support teachers this summer in designing units of study, I will be more aware of “global literacy” and the purpose behind what we teach.  I can already see how we might target global knowledge and skills in Maine Studies through economic resources and the Explorers through comparisons between people who explore then and now.  We got this and it’s a start!

Vulnerable Yet Invincible

Vulnerable Yet Invincible

July 7, 2014

I have to admit that I haven’t thought a great deal about charter schools.  I have entertained the notion of a school with a different vision of education for all students though.  I would greatly enjoy being an educator in a school where there is no need to identify students for this, that or the other thing, but rather provides and education that take students from where they are and moves them on to their next steps.  So while my husband and I struggled to support our son who went through school with a label, I did fantasize about schools with a different vision for all students.

My first reaction and likely my strongest is, access to public education has to be a cornerstone to democracy and students shouldn’t have to “win” a lottery to receive a great education in a democracy.  We ALL need to be able to compete in our globalized economy, not just a few.  We need a more comprehensive solution then charter schools, if we want to turn this situation around in a timely manner. If the CREDO study is accurate and 17% of charter school show “amazing results, that  isn’t going to get us there.

My second reaction is that we need to address poverty as a society.  We also need to work through the effects of poverty in our school by assessing needs and addressing them.  One of the needs is clearly education. There are many students in poverty that are working very hard and achieving in schools.  The fact that Dan Goldhaber said that 60% of achievement is based on non-school factors (family income, support, background) just doesn’t sway me from my role.  These kids are vulnerable yet invincible.  I believe it because I see it daily. So, I’ll meet them where they are and take them to their next level.  Many of these kids are likely sitting just below proficient (low average, 25^th-40^th percentile).  I agree with Ms. Ravitch, these kids aren’t below grade level.  They have many partial knowns and just need powerful instruction to push them over the proficient line.  They are where they are because of their “non-school” factors.  This is a very doable fix in public school.  Provide teachers with the observation skills and tools they need to address low achievement in their classrooms. Provide them with ways to collect on-going formative assessment and differentiate instruction through whole group, small group and 1:1 conferring in order to meet the needs of all of their students. Motivate them with purposeful learning. Meet them where they are and take them to their next step.

I can’t say enough about teacher prep, the provision of coaching, the need for mentors of teachers in their first 3-5 years in order to retain the bright energy that young people bring to this profession. In addition, public school administration needs to be empowered as instructional leaders and that empowerment needs to start with their education.  Finland’s notion of having the most experienced teachers as instructional leaders is spot on.  I had the opportunity to do clinical observation in over 50 classrooms last year.  Every teacher should have this opportunity.  It’s powerful to observe colleagues at the top of their game and reflect on what went well for teaching and learning.  I believe schools can get there if they invest in embedded professional development and provided teachers with these opportunities.  I see teachers daily working hard.  Teachers I would consider effective and not as effective. They don’t get up in the morning and say “I think I’ll go do a lousy job today.”  They go to school with the intent to make a difference.  We need to retool the profession with more effective ways to meet all students where they are and take them to their next steps. We need to stop providing “sit & get” workshops that don’t go beyond that 1 day out of the classroom.  We need to provided PD that meets teachers where they are and takes them to their next step with on-going support through embedded PD.

I believe our profession is as vulnerable yet as invincible as our students.  I would recommend Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School by Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan.  I believe we can improve the outcomes of public education as a profession,  if we work together.